Microbubbles Scrubber Breaks Up Biofilms

Sep-22-18 Microbubble scrubbers able to break up biofilms eschew chemicals in favor of mechanical disinfectants.

Biofilms, which are created by bacteria, are notoriously difficult to remove, and chemical methods encourage the rise of resistant bacteria.

The scrubbers, which were developed by researchers from the University of Illinois, were created using a particular diatom (an algae species with a very strong skeleton) shaped like a hollow rod with a porous surface. The team coated the diatom with sheets of manganese oxide, which—when exposed to hydrogen peroxide—will create bubbles of oxygen to propel the diatom through the biofilm, destroying it.

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